If overeating is an offence, then we would all be guilty as charged! Be it our habit or stress or simply the taste of the food, chances are, we all have overeaten at some point. Sometimes, eating too much is just a classic instance of 'eyes growing bigger than your stomach'. This majorly happens after seeing a spread of yummy delicacies at a buffet. We start with the appetiser, then move on to the main course, and by the time we get to the dessert section, we are more than full but still eat it. Totally relatable, right? But have you ever wondered, how much is too much eating? And if you are overeating, how to cut back on food? Fret not, as always, we have got your back.
We found some expert tips that will help you control the portion size of your meal. These genius hacks are shared by nutritionist Lovneet Batra on her Instagram handle 'Nutrition.by.Lovneet'. But before we jump into it, let's look into the effects of eating too much food. Read on.
How To Know If You Are Overeating?
Overeating is defined as a phenomenon when you eat much more than what your body actually requires. This causes the stomach to expand beyond its normal size, pushing the other organs and creating a discomfort in the body. Overeating can easily be determined with the feeling of fullness and discomfort. You can also keep a count of the calories consumed to understand if you are eating beyond capacity (or recommended daily intake). Hence, we recommend consulting an expert before planning a balanced diet chart for healthy living.
Also Read: Overeating? Here's How To Improve Digestion And Keep Bloating At Bay
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What Are The Side Effects Of Overeating?
As mentioned earlier, overeating expands the size of the stomach. This further leads to weight gain and accumulation of belly fat. Besides, eating excess calories is also associated with various major health problems. Nutritionist Lovneet Batra lists down some major side effects of eating beyond your capacity. Take a look.
1. Weight gain:
Overeating and weight gain are directly linked to each other. Eating too much food increases the belly size and also adds extra calories to your body. These factors further lead to weight gain.
2. Disrupts hunger regulation:
Eating too much food makes you feel tight on stomach and slows down metabolism. This not only disrupts your body clock, but also makes you feel hungry during odd hours of the day.
3. Increased disease risks:
With extra food, comes excess calories, which may lead to several lifestyle related problems, including increased cholesterol levels in the body and heart risks.
4. Affects brain health:
According to several studies, overeating may lead to inflammation, risking brain health. Besides, overeating also causes increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, which may also affect your brain health.
5. Makes you feel sluggish:
Overeating leads to discomfort in your body, making you feel lazy. According to a study, eating more food leads to increased serotonin level in the body, further making you feel tired.
6. Bloating:
The feeling of fullness often slows down the process of digestion and leads to bloating, acidity, heart burn and more.
7. Disrupts blood sugar levels in body:
According to several studies, overeating has caused impairment in the ability of insulin to suppress glucose release from the liver and lipolysis in fat tissue. This may not only increase blood sugar levels in the body, but also affect overall liver health.
Also Read: How To Stop Overeating At Night? Follow These Simple Tips To Avoid Weight Gain
How To Prevent Overeating? 8 Nutritionist-Approved Ways To Avoid Eating Too Much:
1. Get rid of distractions:
We all tend to finish packets of chips and large buckets of popcorn while watching a movie or match. This leads to overeating. Hence, experts suggest avoiding any kind of distraction to make your food choices consciously.
2. Identify the unhealthy foods that trigger overeating:
We all have a list of food that takes us on a bingeing spree. We suggest, identify the unhealthy ones on the list and eliminate them to avoid adding extra calories after overeating.
3. Familiarise yourself with recommended portion sizes:
It is very important to understand how much food your body needs. So, make sure you know how much food your body needs and plan your meals accordingly.
4. Eat fibre/protein rich foods:
Include more protein and fibre in your diet to stay full for a longer time. This will help you avoid overeating during odd hours.
5. Avoid skipping meals:
It is very important to eat meals regularly. Skipping a meal will make you eat more in the next meal.
6. Reduce stress:
Stress and overeating go hand-in-hand. So, expert suggests reducing stress level in the body to avoid binge eating.
7. Chew food thoroughly:
The more you chew, the more you digest. It is important chew your food well to promote metabolism. This will help you stay active, reducing fat accumulation in the body.
8. Be mindful about why you are eating:
Eating mindfully means you are using all your senses to experience the food you are consuming. It is important to eat only when required. This will not only improve overall eating habit, but also prevent you from overeating.
Eat healthy, stay fit!